Is Leo Gornall Preston North End’s greatest champion?

Leo's collection

He joined as a 16 year old trainee and progressed through the C, B and A teams to the reserves. Later still he became Chairman of the PNE Former Players Association.

Long after he stopped playing, as a friend of Tom Finney, he would on occasionally help by driving the famous footballer to special dinners and events,

Along the way he had a keen eye for memorabilia and has devoted a room at his city home to his collection of photos, caricatures and assorted momentoes

Chief among them is an assortment of prints of kindly caricatures of footballers from PNE’s glory days.

The works were created by artist Bob Bond and Leo, now 81, explains: “Bob used to come from Lytham as a young boy with his father and so he became a North End fan. After I retired 20 years later when I was Chairman of the PNE Former Players he rang and asked if he would be able to come and sketch the players after training.”

Leo got permission from the then manager and some of the results can be seen here - including a look back at Leo’s own triumphs.

As our photos show 65 years after joining his home town club club Leo is still championing it.